Product Alerts

More Views

Details

Our most popular yogurt culture! Originating in Finland, the Viili Yogurt Starter cultures at room temperature into a creamy, mild yogurt with a fairly thick consistency. Our Viili yogurt does not have a ropey texture but rather a more gelatinous texture and is perfect in any yogurt recipe.

If the culture dies at higher temperatures, do you get any benefit from the good bacteria? Wouldn't they die at body temperature?

The temperatures recommended for the yogurt enable bacteria to continue growing and reproducing. They are still alive at the higher temperatures, however. You will be consuming good bacteria, but it won't reproduce more bacteria in your body.

I want to begin making coconut milk yogurt, either on my countertop or with my crockpot (I already have a recipe for this) - I make my own coconut milk from dried unsweetened coconut flakes, so my milk is not as thick as canned, and I think it would be considered raw, as I do not heat the coconut. I add it to boiling hot water, that has been removed from the heat, then it is allowed to sit 4-12 hours. I then warn it up just enough to soften the oil before processing and straining it.

Which starter would you recommend? I would like to use an heirloom starter so that I can continue making perpetual batches of about 1/2 gallon each batch. Thanks!

Although you can use the heirloom starters to make coconut milk, they still have to be maintained in dairy, as they can not be re-cultured in coconut milk. So, each week you'll have to make a pasteurized dairy mother culture from which to make the coconut milk yogurt. See here for detailed information, paying close attention to the mesophilic culture section: http://www.culturesforhealth.com/making-dairy-mother-culture-non-dairy-yogurt/

Alternatively, you could use a direct set starter which has limited use and no culture to maintain. This method requires a yogurt maker, or other warm incubation method.

Although not yogurt, another delicious cultured option is to use milk kefir grains to make coconut milk kefir. The grains would still have to be refreshed in dairy every other batch.

No, coconut milk cannot be used directly with the Viili starter. However, if you are making Viili yogurt using cow or goat milk, you can use some of the finished dairy yogurt as starter for making coconut milk yogurt.

Can cultures be mixed? The texture of the villi sounds appealing to me, but the stronger/sour taste of the matsoni is also appealing. What would happen if I mixed the two cultures to make a hybrid yogurt? I would be using pastuerized grassfed heavy cream (cow). Thanks!

Yogurt cultures are a carefully balanced combination of bacteria that will produce a particular kind of yogurt. If you mix different cultures or bacteria together, the bacteria may compete and weaken or die.

How would I go about reusing a viili starter culture? Do I just take a few tablespoons from the previous batch and place it into fresh milk?

That is exactly right! The directions come with each box of viili, but basically you take you 1 Tablespoon of a viili pasteurized dairy mother culture (no older than 7 days) and mix it with 1 cup of milk.

I have read that Viili yogurt also contains Geotrichum candid, but it is not listed here as being part of the culture you sell. Does your culture include geotrichum and if no, is there a specific reason why it doesn't? ..... I have really enjoyed this starter and it makes excellent yogurt.

Our viili does not contain this bacteria strain. There are other viilis that do. ​It creates a mold layer on the top of the yogurt, similar to mold that is on certain cheeses, which is also created by Geotrichum candidum.

Can you use heavy cream (40% milk fat) as your dairy? It's lower in lactose than whole milk, would I need to maintain a mother culture with whole milk as well?

Heavy cream can be cultured using Viili Yogurt as the starter culture, but you are correct that you would need to maintain a mother culture for re-culturing. The mother culture may be made using whole or low-fat milk.

Customer Reviews

Lovely culture with a bright lemony taste, sets beautifully on my counter in 12 hours. I start my culture from cold first thing in the morning before I leave for work and I have yogurt in the evening when I get home - perfect!

I've wanted to make my own yogurt for the longest time, because the commercial versions are frequently over-sweetened, and when they do offer plain, the yogurt is so tart that it makes me pucker. So I was happy to find this site. I tried the Viili, and I am very pleased with it. It is a mild flavor, and it isn't too tart. It is thinner than commercial yogurt, but that is fine with me. I use 2% milk. Then only problem I've had so far is that every batch is lumpy. It doesn't really matter because I can just whisk it until it's smooth. I was surprised with the pricing, but it has already paid for itself. I make a quart a week, and stash a bit out of each batch to make the new batch. I am looking forward to trying a different strain of yogurt.

The flavor is really mild with good, thick consistency. I'm used to eating unsweetened/unflavored yogurt, but for those interested in making the switch, this would be a great option. Culturing on your kitchen counter couldn't be easier and the product is accompanied with clear, step-by-step instructions. As an added bonus, it's very economical. Doing the math, for what one container of store bought yogurt costs me, I can make five - six times that amount (using organic milk).

I love to eat greek yogurt and have made it many times in the past. Of course it takes a little time, but it always tasted good. So I was hoping after reading the other reviews that this yogurt would be a good option and of course very easy to take. I already make milk kefir and so understood the process. Unfortunately, I did not like the taste of this yogurt. It was not very thick, so I strained it as I had in the past done to my own homemade yogurt and also kefir, but this time it was thick, but the flavor was not what I thought it should be. Maybe others will like it, but for my two cents, I did not. I guess when I want yogurt again, I will go back to making it myself.

Response from CFH: Please contact customer support if you experience any problems with your starter. Most cultures can be saved with minor adjustments. Heirloom cultures do behave in unique ways.

I have been using the Viili yogurt starter since my restaurant opened 7 months ago and have not had any issues at all. I use it to make sauces and to culture butter and I am very happy with the results.

First off I will say this was my first yogurt-making experience. I chose the viili as I had not heard of it before, and it was listed as a "mild yogurt taste." I used a sanitized (and cooled) glass canning jar to make it. I used whole milk (not ultra-pasteurized, homogenized) and the culture starter. The first batch sort of set up but was more liquid than anything else. I figured this was how it was supposed to look...until I talked to others. I discarded that culture. A few days later, with a fresh gallon of milk, I tried again. This time it set up well, but after I moved it to the fridge, it quickly broke apart and became liquid. It's still in our fridge: liquid in a plastic container, but I'm wondering if maybe I'm just not a viili person.

Overall, I will say the product seems to be good, the instructions are clear, shipping is fast, and the price is great. Perhaps others have luck with it. Don't let my experience dissuade you from purchasing.

I love this yogurt. I use whole milk and let it ferment in an insulated bag with mason jar filled with hot water. When it is done I add some vanilla and either honey or stevia and pour it over granola and fruit. Made it for my students, and converted some to loving yogurt.

I love this viili. It has a light, creamy flavor when made with whole milk. It faithfully produces a nice batch of yogurt any time I want. I use a seed starting mat when I culture overnight as my house is cool, but in the daytime it works fine right on the counter. My starter batch took 23 hours to set but now it is usually 10 to 12 hours. It sets up nicely when done but is noticeably softer than the regular thermophilic yogurt types; but so much easier and the flavor is less tart!

The starter batch cultured in 27 hours and the next batch in 18 hours. The yogurt is much thicker than I expected and has a nice mild flavor. I used Clover Stonetta organic whole milk, local to California. This is so much better than making yogurt by the heating method. It is a real money saver too, as high quality organic yogurt costs three times as much as making it from the culture.

The viili yogurt is awesome. I am thankful that 2 starter packets are included in the kit. My first batch did not set because, unfortunately, I unknowingly used UHT pasteurized milk so I had to throw it out. My second batch with the second packet turned out excellent. (I was careful to ensure I bought just regularly pasteurized milk.) Now, I have tasty yogurt that I can culture at room temperature and not have to mess with a yogurt maker. I love that it the viili is also an heirloom variety so that is another added benefit. So, to summarize:
1) Low maintenance (can culture at room temperature with no special equipment needed).
2) Heirloom variety (can be re-used again and again to make fresh batches of yogurt).
3) Great tasting.

I was able to make the yogurt with organic milk but my intention was to use it as a starter for non-dairy milk. I used coconut milk and it did not work at all. Now I am yogurt that I am not able to eat. I am not sure what I am going to do.

Response from CFH: Please contact customer support for troubleshooting advice before discarding product. Many cultures can be saved with minor adjustments.

I don't think it tastes like yogurt in my opinion. What it does taste like is delicious sour cream. I have yougurt with all it's benefits no fillers and I never have to buy sour cream again I love it. I do strain mine for about 2 hours. No one has even questioned it on potatos,tacos, or dips or spreads!

If you want it to be store bought thicker you have to bring milk to 195 degrees for ten minuets cool to under 100 degrees and add whipping cream then culture. I wanted to make yogurt better than store bought and now I have.

We love this yoghurt and have ordered it three times. One time the culture did not work at all (perhaps it took longer in the post than anticipated, or perhaps because it was summer?)but the other two were great.

Response from CFH: Curds and whey is a normal result of the culturing process, but is a sign that adjustments need to be made. Please contact Customer Support before discarding any cultures.

I use my yogurt for smoothies. Every morn the entire family has one. As a rule we are not yogurt eaters. IN fact we do not like store yogurt. So, I am rather surprized that the mild taste has been accepted. The process is easy. I put it in the oven withh a light on and in the morn it is done. I make a gallon and it lasts 4-5 days.

Unfortunately did not have a good experience with this product, could not get the yogurt to set, only got the milk to spoil : (

Response from CFH: Please contact customer support for troubleshooting advice before discarding product. Many cultures can be saved with minor adjustments.

(Posted on 12/12/2014)

Attention!

Starter cultures, rennet for cheese making and cultured vegetables, juices and condiments are sensitive to excessive heat. Once your order has shipped, an e-mail with tracking information will be sent to you. We encourage you to use the tracking information to anticipate the arrival of your items so they can be removed from the mail box and stored in the refrigerator promptly.

Free eBook Library Access & Weekly Newsletter

Sign up today for free access to our entire library of easy to follow eBooks on creating cultured foods at home, including Lacto-Fermentation, Kombucha, Kefir, Yogurt, Sourdough, and Cheesemaking.